How one special LEGO set achieved a stratospheric world record | April 27, 2026

What's up, sunshine? I'm Koi Wire. This is CNN 10, the only news show where you can go from high school boxing gym to a sky-high Lego world record to ants worth thousands of bucks. Oh, and stick around because prom season just delivered one of the most epic entrances we've ever seen. We will start today though with a story at the intersection of academics, immigration, and unconventional ways to ease fears. Some schools across the country are feeling the impact of federal immigration crackdowns more than most. In Queens, New York, the principal at Atlas High School, Miss Mesman, estimates more than half of the students there are in the process of obtaining legal status. Lately, enrollment is dropping, absences are rising, and the principal says it's likely due to fear of being deported before becoming fully documented. So, staff took action. A classroom turned into a nail tech training center, a storage closet turned into a boxing gym. The school created spaces where students can learn a trade, build confidence, and prepare for life, whether they return to their home country or gain citizenship. Our Hannah Kaiser has more. >> When you're in the gym, how do you feel? with a lot of adrenaline and so happy. >> This is Gabriella. She's a junior at Atlas High School in Queens where a lot of the students are recent immigrants, including her. She says she moved to the US from El Salvador when she was 13. >> You know, the immigrant depression, everyone has it cuz I've been 5 years here in New York. I'm still have the, you know, the feeling that my life is there, but I know it's not. >> The number of students at the school has shrunk by about 40% this year, mostly because of immigration crackdowns across the country. We've concealed the students identities for that reason. >> Come on everybody, let's go. The bell rang. >> Children are coming to school less frequently. I think part of it is is that they don't feel safe transiting to school. And because they have this feeling that they will soon be facing deportation, they maybe aren't really committing to the process of getting an education because they are choosing to work. >> The boxing program is one of many that the school has created to motivate the students to continue to show up. >> Nail tech, barber, photography, hardware and software technology. Those types of programs are programs of interest to students, but also ways that our students can earn a living while they are becoming documented. >> The boxing program has brought solace and comfort to them. >> This year, coach Mike Figueroa, who leads the boxing gym, designed a program so that the students could train to earn money as certified coaches. >> There we go. Come on. Four, five, six. When Gabriella imagines her future in boxing though, it's not as a coach or a trainer. It's her in the ring. >> My goal is to have a fight, professional fight someday. I imagine my mom, my brother, my coins, my aunties. I mean, all my family is there, you know. I'm being so strict with my drink cuz that's my dream to me. >> Ah, good job. 10 second trivia. What do ants use to communicate? Sound waves, body language, colors, or pherommones. If you said pherommones, you knows what's up. Ants release and detect invisible chemical messages. When a worker finds food, it lays a chemical trail on the way back to the nest. That's why those ants often form those neat single file lines. Fair warning, this next story might make your skin crawl. These may look like vitamins, but they are ants. More than 2,200 of them, individually packaged, and they just landed one man in serious trouble. We're talking a 12-month jail sentence and a $7,700 fine. The ants were found in the luggage of a Chinese citizen in Nairobi's main international airport. A Kenyan court says he was caught trying to smuggle the live ants out of the country without a permit. Illegal. Yes, the man pleaded guilty. His attorney says he'll appeal the prison sentence. Turns out though, these ants are surprisingly valuable. They're prized by collectors who build formicariums, basically luxury ant farms where enthusiasts pay big money to study entire colonies. Why are these specific garden ants valuable? Unclear. Officials say as demand drops for things like elephant ivory, traffickers are turning to smaller, lesserk known species like ants. But prosecutors say removing ants in large numbers can damage ecosystems in ways that are anything but small. From tiny ants to a massive canvas in Times Square in New York City, a Japanese artist is reminding us that every ending carries a spark of a new beginning. The piece is called Morning Again, a 3minute video installation that plays nightly 3 minutes before midnight across 96 digital screens. >> That's insane. Still can't believe >> part of Times Square Arts Midnight Moment. It's one of the world's largest digital public art programs. Artist Tomazu Matsuyama says his inspiration was the moment where one day ends and another begins. Known for his largecale paintings, Matsyama says the installation allows us to redefine whether a moment marks the end of a day or its beginning. Ryan Gosling just reached new heights, blasting into the record books. Well, a Lego version of the actor did by launching into the stratosphere. A Lego set inspired by the film Project Hail Mary was launched high above Wales last week using a high altitude balloon system. On board were mini figures of Gosling's character Ryland Grace and his alien co-star Rocky. The result, a new Guinness World Record for highest altitude launch and retrieval of a Lego set. Yes, that's a thing. Reaching nearly 115,000 ft above sea level. Baseball has long been called America's pastime, but one special league is making sure it's known as everyone's pastime. It aims to give kids and young adults with developmental and physical disabilities the chance to play, compete, and belong. No scoreboards, no strikeouts, and no one left sitting on the bench. Our Ivan Rodriguez has more on the league where belonging is always a home run. him. Right. >> For nearly 20 years, this speciallyesed rubber field in Aquith, Georgia has been the center of community for hundreds of families. >> Bases loaded. Come on. You got to bring them in. >> We were here almost an hour earlier because we had to cheer on our own friends. >> Guzman has been bringing her son Antonio to play in the Horizon League practically since the field opened. She says from birth he's faced a number of medical challenges. Right when we think everything is almost done, he has a seizure and we find out he has kiari malf foration which is required a brain surgery. So brain and neck surgery and all of this before the age of 11. >> While Antonio has gotten older, his joy of running around the bases lives on. >> It's a great way for me to see my friends. It's a great way to play baseball. It's a great way to get exercise. I love it. What makes Horizon League so unique is that this field even that you can run on it, you can walk on it, and that it's safe for everyone. >> A special rubberized turf and completely flat playing field supporting the league's purpose, including everyone in the community. >> Not very many places have special needs leagues, and if they do, they're playing on grass or a dirt field. This turf field gives them the opportunity to come in a wheelchair. The dugouts are wider. Lauren Ham says the league's popularity has grown so much over the years that some families travel hours so their children can be a part of it. As a mother, Iliana understands. >> It's a moment where you can be just let him be a kid. Let him play. We can connect with families. We don't know what we would do WITHOUT >> today's story getting a 10 out of 10. Prom season where every detail matters and there are many considerations for the big night. The dress, the tux, the corsage, the date. Do you go with someone? Do you go with your friends? And how will you get there? And for that in Topeka, Kansas, one group just set the bar skyhigh or shall we say bun high? How about arriving in the Wii mobile? This all started when some friends spotted the classic Oscar Meyer ride in a grocery store parking lot and thought, hm, why not? I'm like, it would be amazing to go on this for prom. >> I asked the driver if they would take us. >> I thought it was crazy. It was a shot in the dark. I'm just used to asking weird questions like that, to be honest. >> Turns out the crew aboard the hot dog mobile had nothing better to do. So, the driver showed up to escort them with wiener whistle bineers and matching corages. Nothing like pulling up in 27 feet of processed perfection. And let's just say their dates, they relish the moment. I can't tell if that's the best or the brat worst. All right, superstars. Got time for two shout outs today. First up, Miss Olivia at PointLoma High School in San Diego, California. Thank you for subscribing and always commenting on our CNN 10 YouTube channel. You rock. And Miss Berg at Northwest Elementary in Houston, Missouri. Sutton, this beaded banner is the bomb. Thank you so much for sharing your creativity with me and the team. I'm trying to figure out a way to turn this into like a a belt, like a championship belt or something. This This is a keeper. Thank you so much. I will see you right back here tomorrow, y'all. Go make it an awesome day. I'm Koi Wire and we are CNN 10.